Promotion of mid-successional seedling recruitment and establishment by Juniperus virginiana in a coastal environment

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Positive interactions between Juniperus virginianaand woody seedlings may influence trends in primary succession along theAtlantic Coast of eastern North America. Woody species richness was greaterbeneath isolated J. virginiana trees than in more exposed,grass-covered dune sites on a Virginia, USA barrier island. Fleshy fruitedseedswere more abundant in the seed bank beneath J. virginianathan in adjacent exposed sites, suggesting that J.virginiana may be utilized by passerine birds. Photosyntheticallyactive radiation was reduced below J. virginiana, and soiltemperature fluctuations were moderated during the growing season. In addition,moisture content, organic matter, and chlorides were higher for soils underJ. virginiana than in exposed sites. For plantedPrunus serotina and Sassafras albidumseedlings, mortality was lower beneath J. virginiana ascompared with the exposed treatment; however, no S.albidumseedlings survived beyond mid-August. The effect of J.virginiana on the recruitment and distribution of mid-successionalwoody seedlings in coastal environments may be passive, through the non-randomdistribution of fleshy seeds by perching birds, or active, through increasedseedling survival due to J. virginiana initiatedalterations in microclimate and edaphic factors.